Drunk mom who smothered breastfeeding baby gets what she deserves

I'm sure most of America seethed when they heard that Latina mom Yadina Morales, a 22-year-old from Maryland, had accidentally smothered her 2-month-old daughter to death after passing out drunk while breastfeeding.

The accidental death of an infant is always heartbreaking but, when that child's mother was utterly reckless and irresponsible, when it was her negligence that was at the root of the tragedy, then the feelings of sadness are accompanied with absolute rage. Well, the Latina mom is finally getting what she had coming to her ...

I'm sure Morales feels remorse, but being accountable for one's actions means having the courage to face the ramifications--including the legal consequences--of acting selfishly, impetuously, and foolishly. Yes, it's possible to fall asleep while breastfeeding and, as a result, accidentally smother your child--and, had Morales not been blasted out of her mind, this would be a different story, a blameless and tragic tale. But there's plenty of blame to dole out here.

After all, Morales had spent the night out drinking with baby Marilyn's father, Dwayne Bryant, while her two other daughters, ages 2 and 4, were home asleep--and unsupervised, no less! Morales eventually returned home while her mate continued his drinking spree. When Bryant finally came home, he found Morales passed out on top of their infant child, who was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Twelve hours later, when Morales' blood alcohol level was tested, it was still 0.256, more than three times the legal limit to operate a vehicle. And this was twelve hours after the incident, which means her blood alcohol level was through the roof when she attempted to breastfeed her child.

What was she trying to feed her baby? Alizé and Hennessy? What kind of a mom drinks so heavily when tending to an infant and two other small children--let alone attempts to breastfeed the baby with all that alcohol coursing through her veins?

Frankly, 15 months in jail seems like a slap on the wrist for such blatantly reckless behavior.

Celia is the founder of the beauty and fashion blog SickaThanAverage.com, an on-air expert for Telemundo and Univision, and a seasoned journalist whose previous editorial posts include stints at In Style, The New York Post, VIBE and Complex. She lives in N.Y.C. with her husband, 10-year-old son, and an obscenely large collection of shoes.